


bitter tea (rotting wood)

by scribespirare



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Biting, Blood, But just a little, Ciel rly doesn't know the fire he's playing with here, M/M, Nighmares, One-Shot, Possessive Behavior, Scenting, Sexual Tension, but he's having a damn good time doing it, nighttime visits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribespirare/pseuds/scribespirare
Summary: Sebastian's been behaving oddly and Ciel's going to get to the bottom of it.
Relationships: Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive
Comments: 19
Kudos: 306





	bitter tea (rotting wood)

**Author's Note:**

> one of my qpp is deep in black butler hell so obviously i had to write her a fic

It starts, of all things, with a pillow.

Ciel considers himself fairly observant; he has to be. Some may be content to move through life with naivety but he is not among their ranks.

So obviously he notices when his pillows start to carry a certain scent to them. It’s heavy and dark, bitter like tea that’s been left to steep too long, but not unpleasant. Somehow it actually makes him sleep better despite it being fairly faint.

He notices when his favorite jacket starts to carry the same scent, his sheets, all of his undershirts, and even some of his cravats. It’s just as faint, a trace of blood and rotting wood there and gone again as the fabric is pulled into place on his body.

And Ciel knows the owner of the scent too. A good portion of Sebastian’s job is getting up close and personal with Ciel, of course he knows what his butler smells like. It’s not a human scent, not comparable to the usual body odor of most people. Ciel isn’t even sure how to describe it. Upon first meeting Sebastian it had sent warning signals through his brain, a prey’s reaction to sensing the predator almost upon them. But over time those signals have faded out, leaving behind only a vague sense of comfort and familiarity.

Ciel taps his fingers against his desk, contemplating. He’s supposed to be reading through a proposal for the company but he can’t seem to get his eyes to focus on the words. His thoughts keep drifting to his butler on the other side of the room, calmly pouring a cup of tea and sweetening it to Ciel’s tastes.

Is it a demon thing? It must be. No human goes around _scenting_ other people’s belongings. But Ciel is having a hard time pairing the concept with Sebastian; it’s so very animal, base, and the demon is anything but. Oh Ciel knows what he is at his core, his brutality, his inhumaness, the atrocities he’s capable of if Ciel just asks it of him. But he’s not an _animal_.

“My lord?” Sebastian’s voice cuts through Ciel’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present. Ciel hums in response, unsurprised when his teacup is set gently before him.

“Your thoughts are wandering. What has caught your attention so soundly?”

Ciel considers playing his hand, revealing that he knows what Sebastian has been doing, but then thinks better of it. Better to wait and see what comes next. Sebastian isn’t likely to slip up but Ciel’s been able to get the upper hand on him before.

“Nothing,” he lies easily, and Sebastian doesn’t call him on it. Instead he lists off today’s tea, standing at perfect attention beside Ciel, a comforting shadow. Ciel barely listens to the words, thoughts already drifting again as he picks up his cup and sips at it. Perfect as usual, but he didn’t expect anything less.

If Sebastian actually cares about what’s on Ciel’s mind, he doesn’t show it. After a few moments though he does sternly remind Ciel that there’s something more important he should be focusing on. Ciel rolls his eyes but bends to the task at hand. He can try to figure out his bossy butler at a later time.

oOo

‘A later time’ comes when he’s least expecting it.

His sleep that night is restless with nightmares. They come and go as he ages, as much a staple of his childhood at this point as Sebastian is. But he’s only half-asleep when he becomes aware of a presence in the room with him, and in his semi-lucid sleep he panics, eyes snapping open as he pushes himself up, reaching out on instinct to grab the hand reaching for him in turn.

Obviously it’s just Sebastian. Ciel stares at him, wide-eyed, his chest still moving rapidly with panic until he swallows and forces it down. His butler’s name still falls from his lips, soft in the darkness of his bedroom.

Sebastian only stares back at him, seemingly just as caught off guard.

As Ciel’s breathing calms and the situation rights itself in his mind, his eyes narrow in suspicion. “What are you doing in here so late?” he asks, shoving away the hand still caught in his grip. Sebastian straightens from where he’d been leaning over the bed, impeccable as always even in the dead of night.

“I came to check on you, young master. You were having a nightmare.”

“I have nightmares all the time,” Ciel counters coolly. Then he curls his mouth up into a smirk as he realizes what a perfect opportunity this is. “Are you sure you weren’t coming in to scent more of my belongings while I was asleep? You’re quiet enough, on most nights you wouldn’t have woken me.”

Sebastian’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly. In the dark they glow a faint red, unnatural. “I see I haven’t been as discrete as I thought,” he says, voice faux-demure at having been caught. It makes Ciel snort.

“You should know by now that you can’t keep things from me, Sebastian. Not even by omission. Care to explain yourself?”

Sebastian dips his head, perfect hair shifting across his eyes briefly. Not as put together as he would have Ciel believe then. “It’s an…instinct. I have not been controlling it well. I’ll endeavour to do better int he future,” he says.

Ciel waves the words off. “I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me.” And honestly, having Sebastian’s scent on his clothes is…pleasant, in a strange way. “What’s the nature of this instinct?”

“Possessiveness,” Sebastian replies frankly. His eyes seem to burn brighter for a second, never once leaving Ciel’s own. But of course he leaves it at that, never lying but also not willing to give information up to Ciel so easily.

Ciel stares at him for a long moment, processing, before he huffs. He wiggles back against his bank of pillows, visibly settling himself in and getting comfortable. “Well, I’m not getting anymore sleep tonight so you might as well tell me about it. Especially if I’m going to allow you to continue.”

That gets another faint look of surprise from his butler. Had he thought Ciel would care; would order him to stop? Probably. Ciel _has_ been known to be fastidious about his clothing and belongings in the past. He’s certain he’s heard Sebastian call him a brat under his breath at least once over it, not long after their contract had gone into effect.

Sebastian just smiles at him though. “My sense of smell is much better than that of a human, and lately I can’t seem to stand when you don’t smell like me.”

“I can’t imagine I _don’t_ smell like you already, considering how much time we spend in close proximity,” Ciel muses. It’s a strange conversation to be having in the dark of his bedroom for sure, and something about it is starting to cause a faint heat in Ciel’s face, but he fights it down ruthlessly. “Is there perhaps another demon in the area that could be triggering this instinct in you?”

“It’s possible, but unlikely,” Sebastian replies.

Try as he might, Ciel can’t help but feel a little smug about the whole situation. Is it so strange to be pleased that a being as powerful as Sebastian is possessive over him? So strange to enjoy being coveted? Whatever is causing the instinct to rear it’s head at this exact moment matters little to Ciel in the end in the face of that possessiveness.

“Regardless, I can’t have you sneaking around my rooms at night waking me up,” Ciel says, his voice betraying how much fun he’s having at Sebastian’s expense.

“Of course, my lord,” Sebastian murmurs, head dipping, hand over his non-existent heart.

“However,” Ciel says, head cocking to the side as he draws the word out. He can feel the way the tips of his hair, messy with sleep, slide along his throat and jaw. “I suppose, if you’re quick about it, I could allow you to scent me directly. Surely my skin will ease your impulses stronger than any of my clothes.” As he speaks he tugs idly at his dressing gown, so that the collar begins to slip down over his shoulder, revealing a stretch of pale flesh from his throat down to the curve of his bicep.

The tension in the room is physically palpable as Sebastian looks up and sees all that bared skin. It feels like there’s some huge predator in the room with them, muscles coiled to pounce and devour Ceil whole. He shivers with the feeling, finding it heady.

“My lord?” Sebastian asks, voice uncharacteristically tentative.

Ciel clicks his tongue loudly. “I won’t make the offer a second time.”

He doesn’t even see Sebastian move; one moment his butler is standing at attention at his bedside, the next he’s half on the mattress and hovering over Ciel. One large hand has grabbed Ciel’s arm, the other is on his side, holding him in place. Ciel swears Sebastian’s eyes are brighter than ever, like burning embers about to catch alight any second, and his teeth are inhumanly sharp.

“Please stay still, young master,” Sebastian says in the most strained voice Ciel has ever heard from him. Ciel just smirks in response, pleased by how much of the demon’s control he’s eroded, and offers up even more of his throat.

Normally Sebastian doesn’t give off as much body heat as a normal human. He doesn’t need to breathe, doesn’t have a heartbeat, and runs cold enough that it’s shocked Ciel on occasion. But right now heat is pouring off of him in waves as he leans in close, puffing hot air all over Ciel’s shoulder and making his breath hitch. Then he closes that final bit of distance and drags his cheek from Ciel’s jaw all the way down to his shoulder, the action startlingly feline in nature.

Sebastian’s skin is smooth and hot, his mouth even more so when he turns just a little and runs his teeth along the junction between throat and shoulder. Ciel’s fingers curl into his bed sheets, his entire body tense as those teeth tease at sensitive skin. He can almost physically feel Sebastian’s desire to bite him, mark him, even as Sebastian relents and goes back to rubbing his face all over Ciel.

That dark scent of blood and earth seems to settle over all of Ciel’s senses. He feels like he’s breathing it into his very lungs, darkening the tissue as it moves through him.

It takes Ciel a moment to gather himself, thoughts having scattered at the first touch, but he clears his throat loudly. “Bite, if you want to, but make it quick,” he orders, flushing a little at how breathless his voice comes out. “I’m growing tired of this.”

Sebastian doesn’t call him on the obvious lie, but he does make a small noise akin to a growl before he enthusiastically buries those inhuman teeth in Ciel’s shoulder. Ciel cries out, body jerking, then slaps Sebastian across the face as hard as he can because it _hurts_. The slap seems to bring Sebastian out of his daze and he moves away as quickly as he’d come.

“My apologies, young master,” he says, a faint growl lingering in the back of his throat. There’s a streak of blood across his upper lip that has Ciel turning to examine the wound on his shoulder. It hurts, obviously, but not as badly as it could. It’s a perfect imprint of those inhuman teeth, blood welling slowly from the impression of each individual fang.

“Impertinent,” Ciel chides, even if the sight of the wound makes him giddy for reasons he can’t name. When Sebastian doesn’t reply, he huffs loudly. “Well, bandage me up. I’d like to try and sleep now.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sebastian murmurs, still seeming a little out of it. His eyes leave a faint trail of red through the dark as he leaves the room and then returns, far too quickly. But he does as he’s told, bandaging the wound efficiently, though he touches Ciel as little as possible in the process.

“Do you require anything else of me?” he asks when he’s done.

Ciel almost tells him no. But then an idea springs to the forefront of his mind, and he simply can’t allow it to pass. “Yes,” he says primly, leaning forward and grabbing Sebastian’s face with both hands. “Don’t move.”

The demon blinks at him, and this close Ciel can see that his fangs are still exposed, not yet changed back to human. But he holds still oh so obediently as Ciel leans in even closer. Braces one hand against Sebastian’s shoulder so that he can drag his cheek against the demon’s, just like Sebastian had done to him. It makes Ciel flush in embarrassment, but he can feel the way Sebastian twitches against him in surprise. He lingers a moment longer, just breathing, nuzzling a little at the demon’s jawline.

When he pulls back Sebastian’s eyes are wide. He schools his features quickly, but Ciel still fills a thrill of victory. The whole situation has him almost squirming in his own skin, unsure of what he’s feeling but knowing that he likes it.

Ciel smirks at the demon before flopping back against his pillows and getting comfortable. “You’re dismissed.”

This time Sebastian doesn’t say anything at all, just dips his head in acquiescence and disappears between the blinks of Ciel’s eyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> come check me out on [tumblr](https://scribespirare.tumblr.com/)!


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